Youngest first? Why it's Wrong to Discriminate against the Elderly in Healthcare

In South Africa and abroad the elderly are systematically discriminated against at all levels of healthcare allocation decision-making. Such discrimination is perhaps surprising in light of the National Health Act and the Older Persons Act; which explicitly recognise the elderly as a vulnerable group whose equal rights require special protection. However; ethical theory and public opinion offer some reasons to think that discrimination against the elderly may be justified. This paper examines possible ethical grounds for age discrimination. I claim that there are very few cases in which the aged may be discriminated against; and that age alone is never sufficient grounds for discrimination